With only ⅓ of female applicants applying for the UK Tech Nation Exceptional Talent Visa, it was uplifting to hear that Noha Amin, Cybersecurity Leader from Egypt was granted the UK Tech Nation Exceptional Talent Visa. It was even more good news when Noha decided to base herself and her family in Manchester.

Noha Amin was a resident of Bahrain for 13 years where she supercharged her experience in FinTech by managing information security systems in the banking sector. Noha also became the Advisory Board Member for the Open Web Application Security Project and CISOCouncil, is the Chairperson for the Women Leaders in Cybersecurity and the Advisory Committee Member for the Cyber Resilience & Information Security Conference in the Middle East.

With a list of achievements under her belt, applying for the Tech Nation Exceptional Talent Visa was her route into the UK. She had heard about it through her brother who also worked in IT. She felt it was the right time for her to seek new opportunities abroad and had her sights on leveraging her existing success and bringing it to the UK.

Noha already knew that her expertise was in high demand in the UK before moving here. She is an avid speaker and panelist at cybersecurity conferences and won notable awards that her expertise was being recognised and requested in the UK.

This is because, Noha says, “cybersecurity in the UK is at the centre of new technologies. UK corporates are my vehicle in developing my experience further while also being able to add high value impact to the UK tech sector in cybersecurity issues”.

With so many achievements and high accolades, for Noha, the visa endorsement itself is a prestigious honour to receive. It opens a new era for her to grow in her career freely. She calls it her magic key when recruiters called her asking about her eligibility of work or to start her own business in the UK.

“The Exceptional Talent visa helped me secure a wonderful job in Cybersecurity. It gave me the opportunity to start a new chapter of achievements in my career in the UK. It also gave my family new opportunities for success in the future”.

Despite Noha’s notable achievements, there was of course, a little voice inside her head that made her hesitate about applying. The limited number of visas granted by the Home Office made her think twice about the success percentage of her application against all the other competent applicants.

It is good news that the UK Government has now lifted the restriction and now granting double the amount of Tech Nation Exceptional Talent visa applications.

Since receiving the visa, Noha has been super busy continuing to add her achievements in cybersecurity.

She has since relocated to Manchester after being offered a job at TalkTalk, a reputable telecommunication company in the UK as their Information Security Awareness Manager to develop the Security Awareness Maturity Level and build a strong Human Firewall.

Noha has also won two international Cybersecurity awards in the Middle East and Canada.

To add to her busy life, Noha has written a book on women empowerment which is due to be published soon.

On advice to other women who wishes to apply for the UK Exceptional Talent Visa

“Women should compete in this field as they have the potential to break the glass ceiling and be confident of their capabilities. Women actually can lead and be the game changer in tech”.

There is no stopping Noha. A very strong, capable and strong woman who is paving the way for other women (and men) in cybersecurity.

*This is not a sponsored blog post. Noha and Michelle are recipients of the Tech Nation Exceptional Talent Visa and maintain a genuine professional relationship and are advocates for women in tech.

This blog was written by Michelle Hua, Speaker, Writer and CEO & Founder of Made With Glove, a UK wearable tech company designing heated gloves. In 2016, Michelle was the recipient of the Exceptional Talent Visa and is now the #TechNationVisa Ambassador. Read Michelle’s other blogs on the #TechNationVisa here.